BJP Protests Enrollment Of Muslim Students At Vaishno Devi Medical College; Kashmir Parties Slam 'Divisive' Move

Srinagar: The Bharatiya Janata Party has demanded that “only those students who believe in Sanatan Dharma” be allowed to pursue MBBS and other courses in Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) in Reasi district of Jammu province.

A BJP delegation comprising Leader of Opposition in J&K Assembly Sunil Sharma and four other party legislators--Sham Lal Sharma, Surjit Singh Slathia, Devinder Kumar Manyal, and Ranbir Singh Pathania--submitted a memorandum to the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday evening in Jammu and urged him to admit those students into the university “who trust and believe in Mata Vaishno Devi”.

Sinha is the chairman of the SMVDIME, while IAS officer Sachin Kumar Vaishya is its Chief Executive Officer and Yashpal Sharma is the Executive Director. The SMVDIME was set up by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) after it started the 467-bedded Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, a NABH-accredited institution, in 2016, as per the National Medical Commission standards.

The hospital was inaugurated on 19 April 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It has enrolled its first batch of 50 MBBS students in this academic year after the Board granted approval for the establishment of a 50-seat medical college in accordance with National Medical Commission norms and guidelines.

Of the first batch of 50 students, seven are Hindus, one is a Sikh, while 42 students are Muslims from the Kashmir valley. The admission list was cleared by the J&K Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (JKBOPEE) for those students who cleared NEET.

"This institute is run by the donations of the people from across the country with an aim to respect and propagate Sanatan Dharma. It won't be good for the donors when the majority of the students given admission are from a particular community. We urged the LG to allow only those students admission into the university who trust and believe in Mata Vaishnu Devi,” Sharma told reporters after meeting Sinha.

“We registered the protest of the people. BJP also believes that the people believe that only Sanatan Dharma believers must be granted admission to the college. We were assured that exercise in this regard is ongoing. All the rules and regulations are being looked into, and this matter is accepted that the religious sentiment must be respected. The Board, centre and other organisations are working on it, and after a thorough analysis, the matter will be brought to a conclusion,” he said.

Reacting to Sharma's statement, NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar slammed the “divisive, hateful and communally driven” memorandum of the BJP.

“They can't hide their colours for long. They will pretend to pause their interview for Azaan in Kashmir but those who follow Azaan, the same BJP will throw them out of educational institutes even if the students have merit and have paid for the seats,” he said.

“The other facet of this is that all minority institutions, as per the BJP's logic, should then throw out the Hindu students from their premises and declare that no one who follows Sanatan Dharma is acceptable. I think LG has done a great disservice to secular values of our country by entertaining such a divisive, hateful and communally driven memorandum of the BJP," the NC spokesperson said.

Peoples Conference president and legislator from Handwara, Sajad Lone, also slammed the BJP for “experimenting with the concept of communalising medical sciences”.

"I just hope they understand that there is a proper admission test called NEET. And that is an All-India test. And that the finest brains in the country sit that exams and those who get selected work hard to become a doctor. And then these doctors serve people, treat them, and perform surgeries. The finest brains go even further. They become a part of research. They dedicate their lives to research. They come up with newer ideas to defeat diseases. They sit in a lab experimenting all their lives,” Lone said.

“Look at how medical science has evolved over the last few decades. Heart care. Eye care. Restoring eyesight. Robotic surgery. The MRI machine. The CT scan. The scientists who made all this possible will turn in their graves when they find out that medicine has been relegated to a group of undereducated political leaders miring a subject as noble as medicine, into communalism,” he said. “We need to get the best brains and enable a culture of research and innovation. Medical science needs researchers, not religious zealots,” he said.

The controversy was triggered by the former DGP of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Shesh Paul Vaid, who, after the Delhi Red Fort blast in which Dr Umar Nabi was found driving the i20 car, raked up the matter.

On November 11, Vaid wrote on X that around 70% of the seats at Katra Medical College (SMVDIME ) were allotted to students from Kashmir. He said that the Katra Medical College is funded by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, and the Shrine Board’s entire ecosystem, including the medical college, is funded entirely through donations from Hindu pilgrims visiting the temple.

“And then we see doctors like Dr Muzammil or Dr Nabi, possibly graduating from such institutions, doing what they always do. Who is responsible? What should have been done, and what can still be done? I leave that to your good judgment,” he said.

Vaid was slammed by the Peoples Democratic Party youth leader Aditya Gupta. “When a once decorated officer turns into a full-time hate peddler, the fall is glaring. The Katra Medical College followed NEET norms to the letter and the Shrine Board Medical College is not a minority institution. His tweet isn’t about facts; it’s a desperate attempt to ignite hate. Another beneficiary of the system, now retired, clinging to relevance by amplifying a fascist narrative,” said Gupta, who is the PDP youth president.

The BJP leaders joined hands with Vaid and several right-wing groups in Jammu city. The university board has not yet reacted to the controversy.

Read More:

1. Delhi Court Allows Kashmir Man Arrested In Red Fort Blast Case To Meet Lawyer At NIA Headquarters
2. 'Govt Working Relentlessly To Ensure Muslims Never Raise Their Heads': Jamiat President Madani